ENGLISH
REFERENCE

sturgeon

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈstɝdʒən// UK //stˈɜːdʒən// stur·geon

n. a large, ancient fish that lives in cold rivers and seas. It is famous for its eggs, which people eat as caviar.

n. any of various large, primitive fishes of the family Acipenseridae, found in temperate waters of the Northern Hemisphere. Valued commercially for their flesh and especially for their roe, which is processed into caviar.


SIMPLE

The sturgeon swam slowly along the bottom of the river.

CONTEXTUAL

Conservationists are working to protect the local sturgeon population, which has declined due to overfishing and habitat loss.

COMPLEX

The Atlantic sturgeon is often described as a living fossil because its physical characteristics have remained largely unchanged for millions of years.

Origin

From Middle English sturgiun, sturjoun, from Old French estorjoun (“sturgeon”), from Frankish sturjō, from Proto-Germanic sturjô (“sturgeon”).

Usage

The plural can be either 'sturgeon' or 'sturgeons', though the former is more common in a collective or commercial context.

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